The missile reached an altitude of 120 km (75 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan in international waters, but inside Japan's exclusive economic zone where it has jurisdiction over maritime resources.

David Helvey, US General Secretary James Mattis' senior adviser on Asia policy, said the exercise is to reassure allies rather provoke Kim Jong-un, despite admitting it was the first of its kind in 20 years.

"This is not about sending a message directly to North Korea," Helvey said.

"I don't expect this to change North Korea's behaviour."

The US has also deployed a missile defense system in South Korea, which is intended to protect the country from its rogue neighbours.

The United States currently has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, as they are bound by a treaty dating back to the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce that left the peninsula in a technical state of war.

Warplanes line the deck of the USS Carl Vinson as part of the sea and air drills off the coast of North Korea

A US Seventh Fleet spokesman said: "The Ronald Reagan and Carl Vinson Strike Groups were joined by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Forces (JMSDF) for routine training to improve inter-operability and readiness in the Indo-Asia Pacific."

The United States has led the efforts to bring further sanctions to punish the North and is urging China, Pyongyang's main sponsor, to play a greater role in applying pressure on the unpredictable regime of Kim Jong-un.